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approx. 7` high on dark marble base. Back is marked `Ezekiel -- Roma.` This small bust of Lee depicts the General in a campaign hat looking to his left. The expression on his face is one of determination. Moses Jacob Ezekiel was born on Oct. 28, 1844 of Spanish-Jewish parents in Richmond, VA. He was able to attend VMI, which was then a public school, even though his mother predicted he would be involved in the War. The VMI Cadet Battalion (Confederate) saw action in the Battle of New Market (May 1864) (losing almost a quarter of its cadets) and during the siege of Richmond. After the war, Ezekiel returned to VMI, graduating in 1866. During his time in the school, he became friends with Robert E. Lee, who encouraged him to pursue his artistic talents, a suggestion Ezekiel took to heart. After graduation, he spent a year studying human anatomy, the moved to Cincinnati to attend J. Insco Williams` Art School. At the suggestion of some local artists, he continued his career in Europe, attending the Royal Art Academy in Berlin. At the age of 29, he won the Michel-Beer Prix de Rome, the first non-German to do so. The prize permitted him to move to Rome, which would be his residence for life. Ezekiel was knighted in both Italy and Germany, and nearly forgotten in America. It has been suggested that his particular art style (very Victorian), while well-executed, was going out of fashion. Had he been born a generation earlier, his might be a household name.

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